Residents of Loagri village in the North East Region of Ghana are demanding the immediate removal of police officers stationed in their community, citing accusations of unprofessional conduct and excessive use of force.
This call follows a recent incident in which police officers allegedly attacked residents who were preventing them from apprehending an alleged motorbike thief seeking refuge in a local home. The confrontation resulted in several injuries, prompting widespread outrage and reigniting concerns about police brutality.
Seidu Damba Abdullai Keita, the Public Relations Officer of the Kubori Millennium Club, a local community group, characterized the police’s actions as “unprofessional” and called on the Inspector-General of Police, George Akuffo Dampare, to intervene. Keita emphasized that the police have received training to perform their duties professionally and should adhere to those standards.
“I’m describing it as unprofessional because you cannot tell me that when an angry resident pelts a stone at a police officer, it is required of the police officer to fire a gun at an individual who, in an actual sense, the police officer should be protecting.
“We are not trained. We are just residents, and we are not trained on this thing, but the police have been trained by our resources. We want to see a stop to this kind of nasty situation. We want a complete stop.”
“If the police officers IGP has brought to our areas are not professional enough, then we demand the immediate removal of their services.” He added.
In addition to their call for the immediate removal of police officers from Loagri village, residents are pressing for a thorough investigation into the actions of the police during the recent incident. The demand for an inquiry underscores the residents’ concerns about the alleged unprofessional conduct and the excessive use of force exhibited by the law enforcement officers.
